Today I’m very happy to be part of a virtual baby shower honoring one of my sweet blogging friends, Amy of Sing for Your Supper. Amy is expecting her first baby, a girl, in January and Kelsey of Apple a Day coordinated this virtual shower to honor the occasion. Amy has a sweet tooth that rivals my own. Kelsey had the brilliant idea to make this a dessert-themed shower, so all of the contributions are of the sweet persuasion. (As a side note, my girlfriends threw me a dessert-only shower before Andrew was born and it was awesome.) I wanted to do something incorporating one of Amy’s pregnancy cravings, but she said she really hasn’t had any. So, I give you these Twix pudding trifles, inspired by leftover Halloween candy and the mass quantities of Twix I ate while pregnant with Caroline.

These trifles consist of chopped Twix bars layered with homemade caramel and chocolate pudding, and freshly whipped cream. They may seem like a somewhat involved dessert because of the different components but they actually come together very quickly since you can make the second flavor of pudding while the first is setting up in the fridge. You could serve these in any vessel you like – plastic cups, wine glasses, etc. – but I opted for these mini mason jars because they were just the right size, and well, because I adore mason jars. I’m happy to report that these were even better than I had imagined they might be. Definitely a dream for this Twix lover. Amy, congratulations on your baby girl and I hope you enjoy your sweet shower! Be sure to check out the round-up posts on Kelsey’s and Amy‘s blogs to see what everyone else made for this special day.

Directions

Cover the bottom of small serving cups with a single layer of chopped Twix pieces. Set aside. (Note: When you add the layer of warm pudding over the Twix pieces, they may melt slightly. If this bothers you, feel free to freeze the Twix pieces to prevent it.)

To make the caramel pudding, combine ¼ cup of the milk in a small bowl with the cornstarch and salt. Whisk until smooth and set aside. Warm the remaining 1¾ cups milk in a liquid measuring cup briefly in the microwave; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook over medium-high heat without stirring, watching very carefully, until the mixture reaches a deep amber color. Remove the mixture from the heat. Pour the heated milk in a very slow, steady stream down the side of the saucepan, whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble and it may seize. Return the pan to the heat and if the sugar seized, continue to heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the caramel has smoothed out again. Bring the mixture to a simmer, lower the heat, and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly. Whisk in the cornstarch-milk mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles up and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and spoon a layer of the pudding over the Twix pieces. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the caramel pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill at least 30 minutes.

To make the chocolate pudding, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl. Pour the milk and vanilla into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until warmed through and almost simmering. Stir in the chopped chocolate and whisk until completely melted and smooth. Pour about half of the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the sugar mixture, whisking until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pudding bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat.

Remove the plastic wrap from the partially assembled trifles and spoon a layer of chocolate pudding over the caramel pudding in each cup. Replace the plastic wrap on the surface of the chocolate pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill and set, at least 30 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap from the chocolate pudding and layer once more with chopped Twix pieces, reserving a small amount for topping. To make the whipped cream, place the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form. Top each trifle with a dollop of the whipped cream, and finish with a few pieces of chopped Twix. Chill until ready to serve.

Where did you get those cute paddles? I have tried to find them online several times and couldn’t ever find anywhere to get them that I didn’t have to order 1000. Thanks!

http://successalongtheweigh.blogspot.com/ The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

*faint*

Annie

I think maybe Bake it Pretty…I can’t remember, it was a while ago.

http://kelseysappleaday.blogspot.com Kelsey

Annie, thank you so much for participating. I love the idea of these mini trifles, especially in those tiny little Mason jars. Yum!

Leslie

Those look amazing! It doesn’t help that I am craving all things caramel this pregnancy. Yummy!!

http://www.singforyoursupperblog.com Amy (Sing For Your Supper)

I mentioned this in my own post, but I recently hoarded a bag of mini Twix from the Halloween candy stash and ate them ALL in a matter of 2 days! Twix is one of my all-time favorite candies, so these trifles are perfect! Thank you so much, Annie, for doing this- I feel so special and honored to have such wonderful friends!

http://www.evabakes.blogspot.com Eva @ Eva Bakes

Looks delicious! What a fabulous way to use up some leftover Halloween candy!

http://www.sarahcupcake.com Sarah@SarahCupcake

Mmmm, Annie, these look sooo good! My friend Alicia is having her baby shower next month. These and the fried pickles you posted for the last virtual baby shower would be a pregnant woman’s dream!

Lindsey W.B

Ohh, twix (and pudding!) are my FAVORITE, I can’t wait to make these!

http://www.mrsregueiro.com Krystal @ {Mrs. Regueiro’s Plate}

Genius and I’ll admit pregnancy cravings…totally worth giving into them! YUM and so gorgeous, what a great addition to the shower!

Annie, these look absolutely amazing. I am going to have to try these in the very near future.

http://jessicainsd.blogspot.com Jessica @Sunny Side Up

I’ve been blog hopping to check out all of the treats for this virtual shower and they just keep getting better and better! I know Jesse would absolutely love this! And the paddles with the cute pink bows are adorable.

These are so cute and what a great idea. I too love these little mason jars and two years ago I used them to serve individual servings of carrot pineapple jello salad at Thanksgiving. That salad was always a staple at Thanksgiving when i was growing up so it is a comfort food to me. The next year I used the mason jars for individual relish containers and added carrot sticks, celery, green pepper and olives in each one. Most any little dessert would be delightful in them and just a small bite at the end of a meal. Thanks for sharing and I enjoy your blog so much.

Annie

I’m not sure but I guess I would probably plan on doubling it.

http://aspoonfulofyumm.blogspot.com/ a spoonful of yumm

wow !! delicious :D love that you used twix bars

Amy

Oh my. Are you kidding me???? I LOVE Twix. *drool*

http://www.cluttercafe.com lisa@cluttercafe

Those look delicious!

Paula B.

Congrats to Amy,her shower “looks” wonderful! I think this dessert is spectaular and it makes one of the most charming visuals you have presented, must be the Mason jars. Double yum on the puddings.

http://www.brannyboilsover.com branny

Great idea! Had fun participating in this shower with you girls.

http://www.danellesdish.com danellesdish

These are so cute. These would be perfect for my girls night out get together coming up.

http://lifeiwant.com Jen

These are so cute! I love food in little jars.

http://www.cooklikeachampionblog.com Courtney

These look so decadent and delicious! I have been craving chocolate like crazy lately, and I just can’t stop thinking about these. Guess that means I’ll have to make them soon!

Mandy

These look soooo amazing!! Is it ok to make them one day ahead of serving?

Annie

Yes.

Melinda

Annie — Where did you find the little paddles for this recipe? I have previously looked for them but didn’t have any luck unless I wanted to order a thousand of them. Thanks!

http://twitter.com/cutebabyshowers Amy Cordray

These are so adorable and look so good! Love the simple added touch of the ribbon to the wooden spoon!

http://twitter.com/cutebabyshowers Amy Cordray

These are so adorable and look so good! Love the simple added touch of the ribbon to the wooden spoon!

Anonymous

Mine are from Bake it Pretty or Sweet Shop Lulu, but I actually just saw them at Joann’s the other day.

annieseats

Mine are from Bake it Pretty or Sweet Shop Lulu, but I actually just saw them at Joann’s the other day.

http://dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/ Erin

I love Twix! These are super cute for a baby shower! I love anything individual, especially a trifle!